George Hitcho Jr. sentenced to death for murder of Freemansburg police officer Robert Lasso

View full sizeCourtesy photosGeorge Hitcho Jr., left, has been sentenced to death for the murder of Freemansburg police officer Robert Lasso.

One by one, twelve jurors affirmed today their decision that George Hitcho Jr. should be put to death for the first-degree murder of Freemansburg police officer Robert Lasso on Aug. 11. One of them dabbed her eyes with a tissue, and a second spoke with red eyes.

Hitcho, 46, sat stunned, staring at the table in front of him as more than two dozen Northampton County sheriff's deputies secured the packed courtroom. Once the jury was excused, Hitcho stood and lashed out at county Judge Anthony Beltrami for not granting him a change in venue that he claimed would have saved his life.

"You can say goodbye to my mother for me," Hitcho said as officers handcuffed him, his mother sobbing uncontrollably two rows behind him.

Donald and Judy Lasso, the father and stepmother of the married father of two, thanked the jury, police and prosecutors who brought the case to a close. They acknowledged, however, that the death sentence would not bring their son home.

"We are still sorry Robert isn't here anymore," Donald Lasso said, noting his family wasn't alone in having lost a son: "We're very sorry for the Hitcho family."

David Stem, Robert Lasso's stepfather, declined to comment. Jennifer Lasso, the officer's 31-year-old widow and mother to his two young children, was in the courtroom earlier in the day but did not attend the sentencing.

Police officers 'off limits'

Northampton County District Attorney John Morganelli praised the jury for its decision, saying the sentence shows society will not tolerate criminals targeting law enforcement officers. At trial, he repeatedly called police officers the barrier between order and chaos and said anyone who harms them must be punished.

"I think the jury's verdict sends a high affirmation that police officers are off limits," he said.

The county's chief public defender, Michael Corriere, thanked the jurors for their duty and said he respected their decision, but said he didn't expect the outcome they reached.

Corriere argued at length Hitcho suffered from brain damage, and at least some jurors agreed. Jurors found Hitcho did have a diminished capacity to appreciate his crimes and was under emotional distress when he fired the gun. Jurors also acknowledged Hitcho had no previous criminal record, all of which could be used to support a sentence of life in prison without parole.

"(Those factors) coupled with the facts of the case, we were surprised," Corriere said.

Corriere said Hitcho will seek an appeal of the sentence. Death sentences are automatically appealed to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.

Hitcho's mother, Linda Hitcho, was escorted from the courthouse in tears. Kelly Yerger, a family friend, read a statement on the Hitcho family's behalf. She thanked Pennsylvania State Police for showing professionalism and compassion during the course of the investigation and passed on regrets to Robert Lasso's survivors for their loss.

“On behalf of the Hitcho family, no words can express our sorrow to the Lasso family,” she said. "We are living this nightmare together."

George Hitcho Jr. joins Michael Ballard as the only killers prosecuted in Northampton County to be awaiting the death penalty. Ballard was sentenced to death May 17, 2011, for the murders of four people June 26, 2010, in Northampton; he is appealing his sentences. Five death-row inmates were prosecuted in Lehigh County.

Pennsylvania has 202 inmates awaiting execution, not counting Hitcho. All but four are men and are incarcerated in the State Correctional Institutions at Graterford or Greene; the women are housed in SCI Muncy. Executions are carried out at SCI Rockview.

The last person to be executed in Pennsylvania was double-murderer Gary Heidnik on July 6, 1999. Prior to that were two executions in 1995.

"Throughout all these years various governors have signed execution warrants, many of them," state Department of Corrections spokeswoman Susan McNaughton said today. "They've all been stayed at various levels of different courts."